DJI’s Mavic Air first took to the skies a little over two years ago, and became something of an instant classic in the under-$1K drone category. The foldable design allows it to be easily packed away for easy transport, its battery gives it 21 minutes of flight time on a full charge, and its 12-megapixel 4K/30fps onboard camera is capable of panoramic versatility and 32MP sphere panoramas.
This spring, DIJ released the Mavic Air 2. The updated drone offers several significant improvements over the first generation Air. The onboard camera is quite sophisticated, offering 48MP via a ½” CMOS sensor, and 4K/60fps video. It can transmit from over six miles away, and stay in the air for 34 minutes, and travel over 42 miles per hour.
The features list includes several intelligent video modes, as well as a ‘hyperlight’ mode and a ‘smartphoto’ mode for drone-assisted photographs. On top of all that, the Mavic Air 2 folds down to a size that fits in the palm of your hand. Not bad for a grand.